Skip to content

Topics

Choose a topic and explore the history behind it.

Each topic brings together a clear introduction, key dates, stories, people, events and quizzes.

Scroll down to browse topics

Search topics...54 topics

United States Army troops wading ashore from a landing craft on D-Day

Second World War

Understand the causes, campaigns, occupation, Holocaust, resistance and worldwide consequences of the war from 1939 to 1945.

12 stories · 6 quizzesExplore topic

The Palace of Westminster and Elizabeth Tower reflected in the River Thames

British History

Explore England, Scotland and Wales, the creation of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, and Britain’s changing links with Ireland, empire and the wider world.

17 stories · 5 quizzesExplore topic

A British Mark I tank crossing a trench during the Battle of the Somme

First World War

Explore why the war began, how it was fought across the world and how it changed states and societies from 1914 to 1918.

1 story · 5 quizzesExplore topic

Kitchen debate, illustrating replacement-topic-cold-war

Cold War

Follow the rivalry between the United States and Soviet Union, from nuclear tension to conflicts fought around the world.

3 stories · 5 quizzesExplore topic

Exterior of the Colosseum in Rome

Roman History

Follow Rome from republic to empire and discover how people lived across the Roman world.

3 stories · 5 quizzesExplore topic

British.coalfields.19th.century, illustrating replacement-topic-industrial-revolution

Industrial Revolution

Discover how machines, fossil fuels and factories changed work, cities, transport and global trade.

2 stories · 2 quizzesExplore topic

Painting of Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz

Napoleonic Wars

Explore Napoleon’s campaigns, the coalitions formed against him and the political upheaval of 1803 to 1815.

3 stories · 4 quizzesExplore topic

Adolf Hitler shaking hands with President Hindenburg at the Potsdam Day ceremony

Nazi Germany

Understand how the Nazis destroyed democracy, built a racial dictatorship, launched war and carried out the Holocaust.

3 stories · 2 quizzesExplore topic

Historical map of the British Empire

British Empire

Examine how the British Empire expanded, how it governed, how people resisted it and how colonial rule ended.

3 stories · 1 quizExplore topic

Scene from the Bayeux Tapestry showing Harold swearing an oath

Medieval History

Explore faith, power, trade, warfare and daily life between about 500 and 1500.

6 stories · 3 quizzesExplore topic

Hadrian's Wall crossing the landscape near Housesteads

Roman Britain

Discover the conquest of Britain, resistance to Rome and everyday life in the province.

0 stories · 0 quizzesExplore topic

The Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens

Ancient Greece

Explore the city-states, wars, political ideas, beliefs and cultures of the ancient Greek world.

1 story · 4 quizzesExplore topic

Aircraft carrier HMS Invincible returning from the Falklands campaign

Falklands War

Understand the sovereignty dispute, diplomacy and military campaign of the 1982 Falklands War.

1 story · 4 quizzesExplore topic

Portrait of Queen Victoria in 1843

Royal History

See how monarchs governed, represented their authority and adapted to political change.

1 story · 4 quizzesExplore topic

Painting of the Charge of the Light Brigade

Military History

Learn how strategy, technology, logistics and civilian societies shape wars and their outcomes.

17 stories · 2 quizzesExplore topic

Hans Holbein's painting The Ambassadors

Early Modern History

Discover religious change, expanding states, global encounters and new ideas from about 1500 to 1800.

3 stories · 3 quizzesExplore topic

Buzz Aldrin saluting the United States flag on the Moon

Modern History

Follow revolution, industrialisation, empire, mass politics and global change from the nineteenth century onwards.

5 stories · 5 quizzesExplore topic

Painting of Charles I and Prince Rupert before the Battle of Naseby

English Civil War

Understand the wars across England, Scotland and Ireland, the execution of Charles I and the struggle over government.

1 story · 3 quizzesExplore topic

The Rhodes Colossus political cartoon showing Cecil Rhodes astride Africa

Empire and Colonial History

Examine how empires expanded, how colonial rule worked, how people resisted it and how independence was won.

6 stories · 2 quizzesExplore topic

Painting of delegates signing the United States Constitution

Political History

Explore governments, political ideas, elections, protest and struggles over who holds power.

13 stories · 2 quizzesExplore topic

Scientists gathered at the 1927 Solvay Conference

Science and Technology

Discover how scientific ideas and technologies were developed, used and shaped by society.

2 stories · 1 quizExplore topic

Young spinner working in a South Carolina textile mill in 1908

Social History

Explore how ordinary people experienced work, family, migration, community and everyday life.

6 stories · 2 quizzesExplore topic

Painting of the proclamation of the German Empire at Versailles

German Empire

Follow German unification, industrial growth, imperial politics and the empire’s collapse in 1918.

1 story · 1 quizExplore topic

Carte de France divisée suivant les quatre départements de Messieurs les secretaires d'Etat par Philippe Buache btv1b8593230j, illustrating replacement-topic-french-history

French History

Explore monarchy, revolution, republic, empire, war and social change across French history.

2 stories · 1 quizExplore topic

People gathered at the Berlin Wall in November 1989

German History

Follow the states, societies and political changes that shaped central Europe and modern Germany.

3 stories · 1 quizExplore topic

Moscow Kremlin (8281675670), illustrating replacement-topic-russian-history

Russian History

Explore imperial Russia, revolution, Soviet rule and the political changes that followed.

2 stories · 1 quizExplore topic

Painting of the presentation of the Declaration of Independence

American History

Explore Indigenous societies, colonisation, revolution, slavery, expansion and struggles over citizenship in the United States.

3 stories · 1 quizExplore topic

The Great Wall at Jinshanling

Chinese History

Follow China’s dynasties, societies, revolutions and connections with the wider world.

1 story · 2 quizzesExplore topic

Himeji Castle in Japan

Japanese History

Explore Japan’s imperial court, warrior governments, modern empire, wartime defeat and post-war transformation.

1 story · 1 quizExplore topic

The Great Stupa at Sanchi

Indian History

Explore empires, religions, trade, British colonial rule, independence and partition across South Asia.

1 story · 1 quizExplore topic

The Proclamation of the Irish Republic

Irish History

Follow Ireland’s distinct history through Gaelic kingdoms, conquest, plantation, union, revolution, partition and the modern island.

1 story · 1 quizExplore topic

Portrait of Sultan Mehmed II

Ottoman Empire

Explore six centuries of Ottoman government, society and war across south-east Europe, western Asia and North Africa.

1 story · 1 quizExplore topic

Interior of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul

Byzantine Empire

Follow the eastern Roman Empire from late antiquity to the fall of Constantinople in 1453.

1 story · 1 quizExplore topic

Traditional portrait of Genghis Khan

Mongol Empire

Understand the conquests, successor states and long-distance exchanges created by the Mongol Empire.

1 story · 1 quizExplore topic

Painting of the storming of the Bastille

French Revolution

Understand why the Bourbon monarchy collapsed and how revolution, war and terror transformed France.

1 story · 1 quizExplore topic

Eighteenth-century map of the Russian Empire

Russian Revolution

Follow the collapse of the Russian state, the revolutions of 1917 and the Bolshevik victory in civil war.

1 story · 1 quizExplore topic

Painting of Washington crossing the Delaware

American Revolution

Explore colonial rebellion, the war for independence and the creation of an American republic that still protected slavery.

1 story · 1 quizExplore topic

Portrait of Queen Victoria

Victorian Britain

Discover how industry, reform, empire and inequality shaped everyday life during Queen Victoria’s reign.

1 story · 2 quizzesExplore topic

Martin Luther before the Diet of Worms

Reformation

Understand how religious reform divided western Christianity and became tied to political power.

1 story · 1 quizExplore topic

Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man

Renaissance

Explore new art, classical learning, patronage and political change during the Renaissance.

1 story · 1 quizExplore topic

Painting of the Battle of Quiberon Bay

Seven Years' War

Follow a global war fought across Europe, North America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.

1 story · 1 quizExplore topic

Painting of fighting at the Malakoff during the Crimean War

Crimean War

Explore the alliances, siege warfare and military reforms of the Crimean War from 1853 to 1856.

1 story · 1 quizExplore topic

Print depicting the Battle of Gettysburg

American Civil War

Understand secession, slavery, emancipation and the struggle to preserve the United States from 1861 to 1865.

1 story · 1 quizExplore topic

US Marines withdrawing from the Chosin Reservoir

Korean War

Understand the civil and international war that entrenched the division of the Korean peninsula.

1 story · 1 quizExplore topic

Helicopters inserting South Vietnamese troops during the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

Explore decolonisation, civil war and international intervention in Vietnam and neighbouring countries.

1 story · 1 quizExplore topic

Manuscript image associated with the Wars of the Roses

Wars of the Roses

Follow the dynastic struggles and battles that destabilised fifteenth-century England.

1 story · 1 quizExplore topic

Manuscript image of the Battle of Agincourt

Hundred Years' War

Follow the long series of wars that transformed monarchy, warfare and identity in France and England.

1 story · 1 quizExplore topic

International Brigade soldiers during the Spanish Civil War

Spanish Civil War

Understand the revolution, counter-revolution and foreign intervention that shaped Spain’s civil war from 1936 to 1939.

1 story · 1 quizExplore topic

Mussolini and Hitler meeting in 1940

Fascism

Learn how fascist movements used extreme nationalism, violence and dictatorship to destroy democracy.

3 stories · 1 quizExplore topic

A pro-Soviet demonstration during the Russian Revolution

Communism

Explore communist ideas, revolutions, governments and movements, including their different claims about equality and ownership.

2 stories · 1 quizExplore topic

Women campaigning for the vote

Women's History

Explore women’s varied experiences of power, work, family, politics and resistance across history.

1 story · 1 quizExplore topic

A Byzantine manuscript of the Hippocratic Oath

History of Medicine

Follow changing ideas about disease, treatment, public health and who received medical care.

2 stories · 1 quizExplore topic

Diagram of the slave ship Brookes

Slavery

Examine systems of slavery, the lives and resistance of enslaved people, and movements for abolition.

1 story · 1 quizExplore topic

Civil rights leaders marching in Washington

Civil Rights

Explore movements that challenged racial segregation, barriers to voting and unequal citizenship.

1 story · 1 quizExplore topic